Texas Road Trip: Day 9 - Did I forget to mention... forget to mention Memphis? Oh yeah, and Nashville, too!

 Day 9 - Little Rock > Memphis, TN > Nashville, TN

We enjoyed our day in Arkansas, but it was time to move along. Day 9 of the trip saw us traversing pretty much the entire stretch of Tennessee. I HAD to get back to Knoxville for a second visit to Xul... but more on that later. 

Entering into Memphis, the town hearkened more to fat, bloated Elvis rather than the swiveling hips, pelvis-thrusting younger Elvis in that it was kind of beat-up-looking. I'd heard more about the Nashville scene than Memphis, but we were passing through and thought it prudent to have a looksie around. Our first stop, WiseAcre, sealed the deal that yeah, maybe Memphis has at least one legit brewery. Pulling into the parking lot just around opening time, we were both pretty impressed by the size and scope of the brewing facility. The walkway into the brewery passed adjacent to a neat beer garden, complete with busts of various historical figures that, in some way or another, influenced the brewery's founders.

I had fun reading WiseAcre's beer descriptions, too. If you get a chance, look them up. Being an old-school English major with a creative writing bent, I always appreciate some clever wordplay. We spent a good chunk of time here, because the beers were great, the brewery was visually stimulating, and the staff were super friendly. My first impression came with a beer called Jean de Lis, which was described as an Ice Pick Style Lager. There's a first time for everything, right? Turns out this unique lager is hopped with a distinctive variety grown in France (of all places!) called Strisselspalt, which lends subtle spicy notes as well herbal and floral aromas. Additionally, the beer itself is flavored with Meyer lemon and black tea, and both of these flavors seem to gel with the hops nicely. As if all that wasn't weird enough, this beer contains lactose. Not sure I ever encountered a lager with lactose. Again, first time for everything! 

I decided to roam away from floral and herbal to the smoky side of the spectrum with Dr. Gibbler , a traditional German-style Rauchbier. Readers of this blog know that I am in a very small minority of beer drinkers who love smoked beers. This clean, crisp, straw-colored lager boasted a moderate smoky flavor (think a combo of campfire and bacon) with some sweetness in the backend. 

Staying on the lager train, I opted next for a pour of a Japanese Rice Lager called Irusu. If you desire a crispy beer, a rice lager is the answer. The term "crispy" has certainly become a buzz word in the craft brewing scene over the last few years, and this beer style exemplifies the "crispy boi" movement. 

By this time, I was craving some hops. Enter Adjective Animal, a double dry-hopped DIPA boasting a "wasteful pile of hops in the kettle," - their words, not mine - and another "huge tongue beating heap of hops" in the whirlpool. Lot of flavors are floating around the palate with this one: orange, tangerine, papaya, pine, grapefruit, and mango. Overall, it's a very tropical-forward DIPA featuring a blend of Denali, Citra, Falconer’s Flight, and Centennial hops. Nicely done!  

Oktoberfest: Gemütlichkeit

Up next was our second - and last - stop in Memphis. Grind City looked promising on the outside, but ultimately this brewery wasn't anything to write home about. Although it might not be fair to judge a brewery on a single beer, sometimes we don't have the luxury of sticking around for a few hours and trying 5 or 6 beers. So, as it turned out this was a one-and-done stop. 

I kept things light and went with a pint of Poppy's Pils. Described as a light American pilsner, this one appeals to the prescription drug addicts, I suppose. Overall, it was pretty pedestrian and didn't entice us to stick around or seconds. Not that it was bad per se; it just wasn't memorable (except for the name, of course), so we decided to make it a short visit and get moving to Nashville. 

Still, it was a nice enough place, very bright and clean with a nice deck area outside. The pictures turned out nice! I was pretty excited to get to Southern Grist and Bearded Iris, both of which were high on my list for this trip. 

When we arrived at Southern Grist, our first stop in Music City, U.S.A., it was uncomfortably crowded and seating was limited. It seemed as though someone's 30th birthday party was happening when we walked in. The tables were messy and cluttered, and we were ready to just stand and enjoy our beer. Although the scene was chaotic, we managed to snag two open seats at the bar after a few minutes, then eventually made it to a table once it quieted down a bit. Turns out the birthday party group were about to embark on a tour of the brewery, so the cacophony of thirtysomethings died down considerably once the tour started. Thank God, because we'd heard nothing but good things about this brewery. We decided to hunker down here for a while and, as expected, the beers were solid across the board. 

Up first was Southern Crisp, an unfiltered Pilsner hopped with one of my faves - Nelson Sauvin. I really enjoyed this beer, and it got our visit off on the right foot, especialyl after the potential debacle we'd just avoided once folks from Annoyingville made their mass exodus.  

Next up was a beer I just had to get based solely on its name. [Insert Juicier Pun] - yes, that's the name of the beer! - is a juiced-up version of Southern Grist's popular New England DIPA. The key difference here is that this one is double dry-hopped with Galaxy, Mosaic and Citra. 

Lastly, we enjoyed a pour of Pineapple Upside Down Cake, a New England Milkshake IPA brewed with lactose, vanilla, and pineapple. Hopped with Azacca and Huell Melon, this fruit-forward treat provided a pleasant blast of tropical air in the land of honky tonks and Elvis. It's been a while since the trip, but I'm fairly certain we took home a 4-pack of this one. 

Another must-hit brewery in Nashville, Bearded Iris didn't disappoint. Turns out, one of their brewers (possibly head brewer) is originally from nearby Grantville, PA (home of our Hollywood Casino). The bartended we ended up chatting with was also from the Harrisburg area and was brought up on Tröegs, specifically Nugget Nectar if my memory serves me correctly. 

I had to start with Homestyle, the brewery's flagship IPA. This juicy, single-hopped IPA is packed full of Mosaic for a pretty complex hop character. It's also not a hazy, which I appreciated. This one is just a great fridge beer that you can throw back whenever you need a good hop fix. 

I hadn't had a stout all day, so I went with a pour of Slender Baker. This rich Imperial Stout features toasted coconut, cacao nibs, caramel, lactose, and vanilla for an enjoyable pastry experience. It wasn't mind-blowing like the Xül stout I had at the beginning of the trip, but it certainly hit the spot. 

Back to hops, this time with Daring Duchess, a DIPA blending Michigan-grown Cashmere hops and and Citra Cryo into a full-flavored, highly drinkable hoppy ale bursting with tropical mango and fruit punch. 

The bartender at Bearded Iris tipped us off to another brewery in town called Smith & Lentz that allegedly brews some tight lagers. Sold! So we carved out some time to swing in for two rounds. Since we were pointed in the direction of this brewery because of its lagers, I opted to start with a pour of Kellerbier, a "young" version of its German Pils (only 10 days cold instead of 6 weeks). Tettnanger hops give this beer a pleasant lemony aroma with some herbal undercurrents. Although the texture is pretty soft, it finishes dry and crisp on the palate. This was a joy to drink! 

For my last beer, I opted for Together Forever , a West Coast-inspired IPA hopped with Mosaic and Citra. They beefed up the hop bill with a hand-selected lot of Columbus Cryo hops to add punchy notes of citrus zest, mixed berry and a hint of dank pine, the latter of which I always look for in a West Coast IPA. 

Before leaving, I had to pick up a 4-pack of its house Helles Lager, called Mariachi Static, which I enjoyed at home. 

But we're not home yet! Just one more day to go, which includes a return to Knoxville, TN, then back home to PA. Until next time...